Welcome back, folks! Sorry for the short hiatus, in case you hadn't heard (hopefully you didn't) Kamille was home for 11 days (I think Ken has the minutes and seconds she was home he was so excited) because she had the privilege of getting her tonsils out. Turns out she had a severe case of tonsil stones. If you didn't know those existed, neither did we. Feel free to check out that link *beware of graphic content*. Hopefully this will be the solution to some of her health problems.
While she was home she was still a missionary; which meant she still had to have a companion 24/7, could not listen to music or watch movies, or see family or friends. We named it Operation Frank (as in Anne) for a code name because we felt as if we were hiding a Jew in 1942 Germany. We dropped her off at the MTC Monday afternoon just in time for her afternoon language lesson, hoping that she'd still be able to head off to Finland next weeks. The news is in her email.....
Well, the church is true. Yesterday after lunch (there was pretty much nothing in the "here you just got your tonsils out, eat this" category) I made all of the Finnish elders say multiple prayers for pudding at dinner. All day long I would remind them. Even as we said our prayer right before we left for dinner, we included it (good thing Elder Downs learned random food words last week). And what do you know? There was pudding! And it was delicious. There was also mashed potatoes, I got a whole plate full, and also skor cake, which was quite soft and went down well. I was a happy missionary. I am also getting off the pain meds, slowly, at least during the day. I will probably take one tonight before dinner, because last evening was really rough.
I have a doctors appointment tomorrow, and hopefully they will ok me to leave on Monday with my elders! But if I have to stay an extra week, it would be ok. I'm enjoying companions number 8 & 9. Motra Forte from Sandy, and Motra Hawkins from Tremonton.
I basically can't really speak Finnish anymore, but it is ok I guess. It will come back. We said good-bye to one of our teachers on Monday, he moved to Switzerland today. I got back right in time to see him, which was a nice little tender mercy. He said his whole drive here he was thinking, "what if Sisar didn't make it back, what if I can't see her. I could write her a note, but what if she never gets it!" So it was good that I got back. I didn't realize how much I like to talk. Yesterday was a little painful, but I don't think I over did it. I made it to 9:30 just fine, I was very tired, but it was fine. Once I'm all the way recovered, I should be good to go!
I got a fun get well package full of paper valentines from the Dopps, that was so sweet. And yesterday I got some Valentine goodies from the Christensens, so that was really great.
Yesterday I was trying to teach a lesson, and I couldn't remember any of the words I was trying to say, which ended up forcing me to tears (I don't know where all this emotion is coming from). But the investigator (one of the elders) said that even though I couldn't remember how to say anything, the Spirit touched him very strongly, and he assured me that he understood what it was that I wanted to tell him. One of our teachers alwas tells us that it's ok if we can't speak Finnish, the Spirit can, and that's all we need to worry about. Because we are just the tool God is using to touch these people, and if all we can do is bring the Spirit, and help it to touch people in some way, we're doing our job. As missionaries, we really don't do much in the conversion process, it is all up to the Spirit. Chapter 10 in Preach My Gospel has some really good scriptures in the D&C that talk about all of this. It was perfect to study that after my very miniture break down. It will be hard come Tuesday night when I get to Finland, but it will all work out. I'll just work as hard as I can, and I'll have an amazing trainer (I am the only Sisar showing up, so of course they'll give me the best, right?) And it will all work out. God's got it under control.
I'm grateful for my time here in the MTC. I have learned SO much. I'm grateful for all of my companions, and each person I've met here. They've all helped me to learn something. I'm also extremely grateful for my teachers, they each helped to change my life in a different way. I know that I needed to have them, and God puts all of us in the paths of people we need in our lives, and I feel that way deeply about each of them. 12 weeks is a long time, and I'm ready to get to Finland, but it will be sad leaving here. Even being so sick the whole time helped me, and getting my tonsils out was what needed to happen, after I got some learning done of course.
I miss home. It was good to be there for a short time. Home is good. But this is better. I'm grateful that I can be a missionary, and that I am able to go to Finland. It was a little touch and go there for awhile, but I know that this is what I want, and that I will do my best, because it is a blessing that I can have this oppurtunity. Wish me luck, and I have no idea if I'll email when I get there or what. But horray! I can't wait for the next 15 months. They are going to be amazing!
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